https://www.labxchange.org/library/items/lb:HarvardX:68789c56:lx_simulation:1?fullscreen=true
Identify and explain (in a paragraph) the most surprising or memorable bit of information you learned.
distant airport
Although this may not be the most memorable or surprising bit of information about extraterrestrial intelligence that was discussed during the video, I found the most memorable part of the video to be the lack of success that Jill Tarter has encountered when looking for extraterrestrial intelligence. Jill explained that there have only been two instances where she came somewhat close to thinking her team had encoutnered an unnatural signal, and both times they realozed that had been fooled by something manmade. The first example was in France using the Nancay Telescope and then realizing that they were just detecting a distant airport. Jill explains that she stayed up for days before realziing that the signal was coming from a distant airport. In the second example, she discusses an instance in West Virginia in which her team had mistaken the Soho spacecraft, which was orbiting the sun, for an unnatural signal. It found this part of the video memorable because both of these "close calls" were quickly proven to be false, so neither represents an openeded case or new lead. This lack of success proves just how difficult it is to detect signals that are so minute that they could be extraterrestial. Additionally, it probes the question of just how far are we from developing the technology to easily look past cases like these in which a false positive could occur. Either way, it is evident in the progress that has been made so far that an increasing amount and support has been put into this type of research by scientists like Jill Tarter.
If you had conducted the interview, what unasked and/or unanswered question would you have asked, and why? - You discussed the search for signs or signals that are too narrow for nature to produce or laser signals at a minute frequency. Are there any other types of signals or signs that you would define as "unnatural"?
Hey Thomas! This is a really interesting point to bring up. The fact that Tarter can sit with her lack of success and still have hope in her field, I think is also rather interesting. To have a job as rewarding yet unrewarding because of its lack of precedence must be difficult and conflicting. To that point, I think your question brings to light a lot of the creativity that is taken when doing this work where there is no example of what a “success” really looks like.
This is awesome, Thomas! It's incredibly interesting to see that lack of success. It seems nearly impossible that, in an infiinite universe with millions of Earth-like habitats, there would be no other form of extraterrestrial intelligence with roots similar to humans. I would love to further research regarding how close other scientists have come — well, that is, believe they have come — to finding any form of extraterrestrial intelligence.